I've watched many film noirs in my day, but this would be one of the few French noirs that I've seen. In some senses, it's like most other film noirs: you have tough guys ("rififi" meaning tough guy), capers, and things going bad. There are no femme fatals in this one though.
So why does this film stand out? Why in the world would I watch this over any other of the hundreds of film noirs that were made in the world? Well, for the first half hour of the film, I couldn't figure it out either. In fact, it was kind of mundane. And then came the jewel heist. This is a stunner--for almost half an hour, there is not a word of dialogue and minimal sound effects. What's more, the tension gets thicker and thicker despite the silence.
The rest of the movie goes forward in a more typical fashion, but the caper itself is pretty impressive. The rest of the story is fine, a far as film noirs go. It doesn't help to elevate the film a lot, but the middle section makes the film worth watching.
It's good overall, and exceptional in the middle. 7/10.
So why does this film stand out? Why in the world would I watch this over any other of the hundreds of film noirs that were made in the world? Well, for the first half hour of the film, I couldn't figure it out either. In fact, it was kind of mundane. And then came the jewel heist. This is a stunner--for almost half an hour, there is not a word of dialogue and minimal sound effects. What's more, the tension gets thicker and thicker despite the silence.
The rest of the movie goes forward in a more typical fashion, but the caper itself is pretty impressive. The rest of the story is fine, a far as film noirs go. It doesn't help to elevate the film a lot, but the middle section makes the film worth watching.
It's good overall, and exceptional in the middle. 7/10.